Volume VIII Part 11 (1/2)

It was, in fact, possible that the girl at the beer-shop had had an evil suspicion--a suspicion worthy of such a hussy--on hearing that only one of the Roland brothers had been er; but have not such natures as she always similar notions, without a shadow of foundation, about every honest woman? Do they not, whenever they speak, vilify, calumniate, and abuse all whom they believe to be blameless? Whenever a woman who is above iry as if they were being insulted, and exclaim: ”Ah, yes, I know your married women; a pretty sort they are!

Why, they have more lovers than we have, only they conceal it because they are such hypocrites Oh, yes, a pretty sort, indeed!”

Under any other circuined the possibility of such an insinuation against his poor mother, as so kind, so simple, so excellent But his spirit seethed with the leaven of jealousy that was fer within him

His own excited mind, on the scent, as it were, in spite of hie his brother, had even perhaps attributed to the tavern barmaid an odious intention of which she was innocent It was possible that his iination had, unaided, invented this dreadful doubt--his iination, which he never controlled, which constantly evaded his will and went off, unfettered, audacious, adventurous, and stealthy, into the infinite world of ideas, bringing back now and then some which were shameless and repulsive, and which it buried in him, in the depths of his soul, in itsstolen His heart, most certainly, his own heart had secrets from him; and had not that wounded heart discerned in this atrocious doubt ahis brother of the inheritance of which he was jealous? He suspected hi all the ots search their consciences

Mence was limited, had certainly a woman's instinct, scent, and subtle intuitions And this notion had never entered her head, since she had, with perfect simplicity, drunk the blessed memory of the deceased Marechal She was not the woman to have done this if she had had the faintest suspicion Now he doubted no longer; his involuntary displeasure at his brother's windfall of fortune and his religious affection for his nified his scruples--very pious and respectable scruples, but exaggerated As he put this conclusion into words in his own ood action; and he resolved to be nice to every one beginning with his father, whose ar opinions, and too conspicuous mediocrity were a constant irritation to him

He came in not late for breakfast, and aood-huhted, said to him:

”My little Pierre, you have no notion how humorous and clever you can be when you choose”

And he talked, putting things in a witty way, and enious hits at their friends Beausire was his butt, and Mme

Rosemilly a little, but in a very judicious way, not too spiteful And he thought as he looked at his brother: ”Stand up for her, you muff

You may be as rich as you please, I can always eclipse you when I take the trouble”

As they drank their coffee he said to his father:

”Are you going out in the _Pearl_ to-day?”

”No, my boy”

”May I have her with Jean Bart?”

”To be sure, as long as you like”

He bought a good cigar at the first tobacconist's and went down to the quay with a light step He glanced up at the sky, which was clear and luminous, of a pale blue, freshly swept by the sea breeze

Papagris, the boat in the bottom of the boat, which he was required to have in readiness every day at noon when they had not been out fishi+ng in the ether, mate,” cried Pierre He went down the iron ladder of the quay and leaped into the vessel

”Which way is the wind?” he asked

”Due east still, M'sieu Pierre A fine breeze out at sea”

”Well, then, old hed anchor; and the boat, feeling herself free, glided slowly doard the jetty on the still water of the harbor The breath of wind that cahtly as to be imperceptible, and the _Pearl_ seemed endoith life--the life of a vessel driven on by ahis cigar between his teeth, he stretched his legs on the bunk, and with his eyes half-shut in the blinding sunshi+ne, he watched the great tarred tilided past

When they reached the open sea, round the nose of the north pier which had sheltered them, the fresher breeze puffed in the doctor's face and on his hands, like a so sigh to drink it in, and swelling the tawny sail, tilted the _Pearl_ on her beam and made her more lively Jean Bart hastily hauled up the jib, and the triangle of canvas, full of wind, looked like a wing; then, with two strides to the stern, he let out the spanker, which was close-reefed against itsthe hull of the boat, which suddenly heeled over and was running at top speed, there was a soft, crisp sound of water hissing and rushi+ng past The prow ripped up the sea like the share of a plough gonewater it turned up curled over and fell white with foahed soil, heavy and brown, rolls and falls in a ridge At each wave theysea--the _Pearl_ shi+vered from the point of the bowsprit to the rudder, which treusts, the swell rose to the gunwale as if it would overflow into the boat A coal brig fro for the tide; they made a sweep round her stern and went to look at each of the vessels in the roads one after another; then they put further out to look at the unfolding line of coast

For three hours Pierre, easy, caluiding the thing of wood and canvas, which came and went at his will, under the pressure of his hand, as if it were a swift and docile winged creature